Panama Canal cruises: what to know before you go

But whether you’re exploring Panama, teaming a visit with a trip to Costa Rica or California, looking forward to spotting wildlife or fascinated by the string of locks which make this voyage possible, here’s everything you need to know before setting off on Panama Canal cruises.

Work first began on creating the Panama Canal by the Spanish back in 1534, when the Spanish ruler ordered a survey looking at a route to the Pacific – the result follows a similar path as the current canal, but the governor of Panama at the time believed it would be impossible to construct. It wasn’t until 1880 when the French began to turn the idea into reality, digging the first trench on New Year’s Day, although eventually they had to abandon the attempt thanks to the high cost in lives and money.

Only after the Americans took over the project in 1904 was the canal finally built, completed 380 years after that original survey. One of the most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, its completion meant that ships no longer had to make the lengthy and often treacherous journey around Cape Horn – the headland at the tip of South America – cutting around 8,000 nautical miles off the voyage. Around 30 million pounds of dynamite were used to excavate and construct the canal, which also claimed the lives of around 25,000 workers, the majority through disease, including yellow fever and malaria.

Nicknamed ‘the big ditch’, today it takes around eight to 10 hours to traverse the 50-mile canal, voyaging from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific Ocean, with a system of locks raising each ship 85 feet above sea level. More than a million vessels have sailed through since the Panama Canal was first opened and the canal had to be expanded with a third, wider lane of locks opening for commercial ships in 2016 – still too small for the world’s largest container ships to fit through.

There’s a system of locks at each end of the canal, lifting ships up to 85 feet above sea level to an artificial lake, Lake Gatun, before returning them back down again - a total of 170 feet on the passage from coast to coast.

The original canal locks are 110 feet wide and around 1km long, with ships passing through three locks at the Caribbean end before crossing the lake and a string of artificial channels, then being lowered once more through another three locks. Each lock can hold up to 52 million gallons of water, with around 1,500 electric motors powering the sluice gates, which weigh 750 metric tons – and they’re still manually operated, albeit from a control station rather than by hand.

The best time to cruise the Panama Canal is during the country’s driest season, from mid-December to mid-April. The wet season runs from May to November on the Pacific coast, while there are short downpours most days year-round on the Caribbean coast, followed by brilliant sunshine.

Few cruises run during peak summer when the rain is strongest and there’s a chance of hurricanes across the Caribbean. Temperatures are relatively consistent year-round at about 30C, so you can expect it to be hot whenever you plan your Panama Canal cruise, although January and February may be slightly cooler.

Panama is always hot and often humid, so loose, lightweight layers are the best option to cope with the high temperatures and strong sunshine.

A wide-brimmed hat is essential too, especially as you’re likely to be spending the day on deck watching the sights as you cross through the Panama Canal.

It’s also a good plan to bring a lightweight rain jacket, especially if you’re travelling at the start or end of the dry season, with rain a possibility year-round on the Caribbean coast. You’ll also need sturdy closed-toe shoes if you’re exploring the jungle around the canal.

If you’re planning a partial Panama Canal cruise as part of a Central America holiday, you won’t need to worry about any formal evening clothes, as dress aboard will be casual during the daytime.

For a longer Panama Canal Cruise, the dress code will vary from ship to ship – some are more formal, but many will have a smart casual dress code for the hot weather. It’s worth bringing a scarf or lightweight jacket/cardigan for cooler air-conditioned temperatures indoors too.

A Panama Canal cruise is so much more than a sailing shortcut, with some spectacular views as you go, as well as great excursions to include in your cruise.

Explore the remains of one of Europe’s oldest settlements in the Americas, hidden within the high-rises of Panama City. You’ll find a tempting mix of modernity and history in the country’s capital, especially in the attractive old town known as Casco Antiguo or Casco Viejo. Home to the Metropolitan Cathedral with its two towers, as well as the Palacio de las Garzas, the residence of the President of Panama by the waterfront, you’ll also find a string of restaurants decorated with murals and rooftop bars, along with traditional crafts in the shops.

Panama City

Beyond the colonial quarter and contemporary side of Panama City, you can head to white sand beaches or learn more about Panama’s indigenous people and the country’s biodiversity at some of the museums.

While the Panama Canal might be an engineering marvel, this man-made triumph is surrounded by spectacular natural scenery with miles of lush rainforest bordering much of the water.

The island in the heart of Gatun Lake alone is home to 381 bird species, 120 types of mammal and 1,316 plants. As you cruise along, you’ll hear capuchin and howler monkeys calling in the trees, with a chance to spot them and their quieter cousins, spider monkeys. The rainforest is also home to sloths and tropical birds including toucans.

Geoffroy's tamarin

In the waterways themselves, you could spy crocodiles, caimans and iguanas so don’t forget to bring your binoculars.

One of the more unusual but equally memorable sights to look out for is the vast ships which may be traversing the canal at the same time as your cruise.

With the completed expansion of the wider lane of locks for commercial ships, which opened in 2016, you can now see immense vessels up to 366m long. The largest cargo ship to cross the Panama Canal was the MSC Marie in September 2024, at 366m long and 51m wide (a fraction under the maximum of 51.25m), breaking the record set in 2023 by Ever Max.

Panama canal vessels

The ship has a maximum capacity of 17,640 TEU – one TEU (or Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) is based on the dimensions of a standard shipping container, at around 20ft long, 8ft wide and 8.5ft high.

The largest cruise ship to cross the canal is the Norwegian Bliss, with a passenger capacity of 4,004 – at 333m long and 41m wide, she is still smaller than some of the largest cargo ships on the canal.

One of the most memorable sections of the Panama Canal, the Gaillard Cut (also known as the Culebra Cut) is an artificial valley linking Lake Gatun with the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks on the Pacific coast side. Creating this part of the canal was the biggest engineering challenge to be overcome in the entire construction process, requiring a channel to be dug through the hard rock of Panama’s Continental Divide.

As many as 6,000 men worked on the cut at any time, with sudden devastating landslides often burying workers and machinery, and wiping out months of work.

One of the locks on the Pacific side of Gatun Lake, the Miraflores locks lowers (or lifts) ships by up to 64ft in two stages and is the closest set of locks to the Pacific Ocean.

The Miraflores locks also have the highest and heaviest gates of the whole canal, in order to deal with the often substantial variations in the Pacific tides.

Miraflores locks

There’s also a set of intermediate gates which reduce the size of the chamber to conserve water if the ship isn’t one of the biggest vessels using the canal. While the locks themselves are fascinating, it’s also one of the locations where people can observe the Panama Canal in action if they aren’t on a cruise ship themselves.

The Miraflores Visitor Centre is on the east side of the Miraflores locks, with large viewing balconies to enable people to look out as the lock gates are opened and closed – for those ships coming from the Pacific, it’s the first lock you’ll encounter, while for those travelling from the Atlantic coast, it’s the final lock of the journey.

The other set of locks on the Pacific side of Gatun Lake, the Pedro Miguel lock is a single stage lock, lifting ships up to Gatun Lake from the Miraflores locks.

This pair of locks has a lift of 31ft, and is the only single chambered lock in the Panama Canal.

With hot, humid weather, you’ll need to pack lightweight clothing to deal with the temperatures.

Loose-fitting clothes and natural fabrics can also help to keep you cool, while a shady hat and sunglasses are vital, along with high factor SPF.

You won’t be expected to cover up on board ship, but if you’re taking an excursion including a visit to a church, you’ll need to cover shoulders and knees. Similarly, if you’re visiting the rainforest, it’s best to stick with long sleeves and trousers, as well as wearing sturdy closed-toe shoes for walking.

Otherwise dress tends to be relatively casual across Panama, and for daytimes on board ship. Some cruises may have more formal dress codes for evenings, while others will be smart casual at night and you may need a light cover-up for air-conditioned restaurants. If you’re taking a partial Panama Canal cruise, you won’t need any smarter evening wear.

While most Panama Canal cruises run during the driest months, you can expect some rain year-round on the Caribbean side of the country, plus more unsettled weather at the start and end of the dry season, so it’s worth bringing a lightweight raincoat and umbrella as showers tend to be short but fierce.

High-strength mosquito repellent is also essential, especially if you’re visiting the rainforest, but also for the journey through the Panama Canal. As ships travel at relatively slow speeds and you’re likely to be outdoors watching the scenery and views, bites are not uncommon. Although there’s a low risk of malaria, other mosquito-borne diseases including Zika and dengue fever are present.

It’s also worth packing binoculars to make the most of the views from the ship as you traverse the canal, along with spare memory cards, batteries or portable chargers for your camera and phone. For more tips, our ultimate travel checklist has more suggestions.

A journey like no other, even the facts and statistics behind the Panama Canal are fascinating – here’s what to know.

The canal is 51 miles (82km) long.

The design and construction involved both French and American engineers, with the French beginning the project in 1880 before the Americans took over, redesigning the plans to use a lock system and creating the canal we know today.

The government of Panama owns and operates the canal through a dedicated agency, the Panama Canal Authority. Previously the US had control of the canal, before relinquishing that in 1999.

There are six pairs of locks, three on each side of the artificial Gatun Lake in the middle – one flight of three locks on the Atlantic side, and a single lock plus a double lock on the Pacific side.

The width of the Panama Canal ranges from 150 to 300m. The original locks themselves were only 110ft wide, limiting the size of the ships which can traverse the canal.

The depth varies along its length, around 85ft in parts of Lake Gatun, while the average depth in the Gaillard Cut (or Culebra Cut) is 43ft.

No, despite linking two oceans, the canal operates with gravity-fed freshwater which enters high above sea level. The lake is also freshwater and Panama’s main drinking water source, so saltwater is prevented from entering the canal system.

More than a million vessels have traversed the canal since it opened, and around 40 ships make the crossing every day.

The SS Ancon, an American cargo and passenger ship, was the first to cross the canal, having been used to ferry workers, construction materials and cement to Panama for the canal’s construction.

Discover our range of cruise and tour holidays, combining escorted tours with cruising experiences, including a tour of Costa Rica with a Panama Canal cruise, and a Panama Canal cruise with San Francisco and Big Sur